Ready, Set, Giselle!

Ads for Giselle’s Remix appeared in the Boston Globe and New York Times … billboards will begin later this month

The Clark is preparing to open Giselle’s Remix, the first exhibition we will install based on a submission to our uCurate interactive program (check it out at clarkart.edu/remix). The first exhibition was created by 11-year-old Giselle Ciulla, who shared the post below as she anticipates the transformation of her exhibition from virtual to actual. As part of her work as a Clark curator, Giselle has worked closely with our marketing team as they’ve developed a campaign to promote the show. Recent ads in the Boston Globe and New York Times launched the marketing effort, which will soon be supplemented with billboards throughout the Berkshires region. Not surprisingly, Giselle has some thoughts on the media efforts.

Hi everyone! This week has been a tough one, because I live right outside of New York City, which got very hard hit by Hurricane Sandy. My town lost power and some houses, but not most, flooded. The wind was crazy, and the morning after the storm hit, there were so many trees and power lines down! It has been a long week, because all school was cancelled, my power was out, and the lack of gas means it’s hard for us to drive places.

But before this huge storm hit my town, I was home with my grandparents who were watching us for the week. They had brought the ad from the Boston Globe that had my picture in it, and showed it to my friends who were over. They started screaming with me and they all called their parents who asked to talk to me. I was so happy and embarrassed by them, because they went walking down the street singing, “My best friend’s a celebrity! She’s in the newspaper and is going to be on a billboard!”

I was so excited at that point, and whenever the ad catches my eye now, my heart starts pounding and I get so anxious. I can’t wait until the exhibit opens!

As a docent at another New England museum, I was appalled to read Qcross’s comment. It appears as if qcross doesn’t understand what this is all about. It’s not an exhibit of an 11 year old but even if it were, is this the response of a responsible, mature adult?. As docents, we put an enormous effort into encouraging art appreciation among young people. My experience with children as young as 7 years old is that they often observe things in paintings that adults overlook; they respond to art in a way that sometimes amazes us and thrills us. Their excitement at discovering a particular artist or their appreciation of the art of painting and sculpture is contagious to all of us. I would think that the Clark would be thrilled to share with the rest of us what anyone loved or appreciated in the works of art at the Clark–even an eleven year old! Rather than criticize a young person (or anyone for that matter) for showing his/her love and appreciation for the works of art at the Clark, Qcross should encourage, if not applaud, this young person for her project.

Hey, q cross. Everyone is forever bemoaning the lack of artistic engagement of today’s young. In response, a great museum directly engages young people to think seriously about artistic works and their presentation and then celebrates that engagement. It further reaches out to more young people to come and see how seriously (and also playfully, the two are not exclusive) “one of their own” thinkas about art and encourages them to the same. And you want another exhibit from another MFA? “To everything there is a season”.

What a misguided comment by Q Cross. The Clark has great works, and call it what you may, what a great opportunity to bring those works to a whole new generation of young people and future benefactors!

Francine and Sterling must be rolling over in their graves. Marketing is just that….. slick marketing. For one of the best museumsin the Country, I have a no vote of confidence. Real work will bring in the real crowds. And not at the behest of an 11 year old.